Protection in Commander is mostly on instants, or rattlesnake effects. It’s used to protect creatures or other nonland permanents from targeted removal spells or damage-based wraths. It wins games by allowing a creature to continue a lethal attack or perform a combo kill. That does win games, sure, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about today.
Today I’d rather focus on creatures having inbuilt protection, or protection granted indefinitely by different effects.
The classic effect in Commander is Akroma’s Memorial. It’s been a big finisher in the format since the format’s inception, offering a way for creatures to avoid removal, swing in, and get around blockers. A big part of it is the Flying, sure; but the protection comes in real handy.
Glory and Brave the Elements are similar tricks that used to see a lot of play, and still do, within certain decks.
When we think of creatures getting in for damage and finishing games, Progenitus is the Avatar of Protection. It has Protection from everything, meaning it can’t be blocked, dealt damage, targeted, or – and this is a downside – be enchanted or equipped. Progenitus is a Commander that loves +1/+1 counters and extra combat steps, and still rips through tables in 2024 with the right setup.
Classic staples like Spirit Mantle and Flickering Ward have long been used in the format to enable creatures to deliver lethal damage and protect themselves from removal. It’s largely an effect seen in white, but is in other colors too.
So what makes protection on creatures so damn good?
MODERN COMMANDER IS ALL ABOUT COMBAT
Nowadays, accruing value – through cards, and through treasures – is easiest through combat. Whether on combat damage to opponents, or attack triggers, that’s where the easy value is. Curves lowering is another factor, here; aggro starts are easier than ever, and with a dearth of boardwipes in the average casual deck, curving out has never been better. In fact, I wrote an article about this phenomenon, in which I lambasted the design of Voja, Jaws of the Conclave. Busted piece of cardboard.
A cheeky fog has never been better than it is today, and that’s one of the reasons that The One Ring is pretty darn powerful in Commander even when it isn’t being looped. Getting to disable triggers for an opponent unless they swing elsewhere is huge for one turn, especially given the fact you get card draw afterwards. It’s the tempo swing – the pushing away aggro to other places – that sets people on edge.
Chip damage has been hit by inflation, and because progressing a game plan in a deck that revolves around attack/damage triggers requires constant forward momentum, the person in last place (or with the least developed board) is often a punching bag for value. Their pockets are emptied, and treasure tokens and cards spill out onto the board. Rough.
So, what are you to do? How do you stymie the assault of aggressive starts? How do you ensure your own creature gets through to make those sweet triggers happen? Well, use protection. 😉
GAME ENDERS
Akroma’s Will is perhaps the best win condition for white decks these days. Moonshaker Cavalry is solid if you can get the mana, but usually you want to be dropping Akroma’s Will when you have six or seven mana, not eight, with some leftover to play another creature or a removal spell. What’s beautiful about this spell is that the protection basically reads as “your board is unblockable”. When you add it on to the spell’s defensive capabilities, you end up with quite the haymaker.
What makes protection so strong in Commander these days is the flexibility it grants, and so Akroma’s Will leaning into being flexible magnifies the power of the card.
Another card that encapsulates this ethos is Serra Emissary. While the protection it offers is flexible, the best mode is choosing Creature. This allows you to attack unimpeded while also not suffering any incoming damage.
These cards are both finishers, though. So, what about the midgame?
PROTECTION KEEPS THE TEMPO
Protection is a big tempo advantage, seeing as it allows you to circumvent hurdles in combat, and make your creatures more survivable.
Eowyn, Fearless Knight is one that I’ve enjoyed playing a lot. It’s Boros removal, sure, but more than that, it ensures you can get multiple creatures through for combat damage that turn. When paired with flicker or reanimation, Eowyn becomes a real roleplayer.
A Seasoned Dungeoneer can really dictate the tempo of a game. Much like it did in Legacy, it presents a solid clock linked to some really strong value from going into the Undercity. It’s not hard to find a deck with creature types that can benefit from this trigger, and especially giving your Commander the protection opens up a lot of lines of play.
SHORING UP THE EARLY GAME
Protection is still great in the early game, too.
I think we’ve all cast a Stonecoil Serpent at some point, but this thing is still a phenomenal blocker, and a card I always want to have in my green decks and counters decks.
More to the point, Auriok Champion and cards with similar protection are the cards I really think buff a deck in a way that’s hard to tangibly track. Early game, having a creature with protection can be the difference between you taking 10-15 “chip” damage and still being in the 30-40 life bracket by turn 5-6. It’s also a great creature to build Auras, Equipments or +1/+1 counters onto if you need to connect, all while offering an effect many decks just want anyways.
Sanctifier en-Vec is another, if you’re looking for some good Graveyard interaction.
Mirran Crusader has to be one of the most underrated curve-fillers in Commander, and that’s saying a lot, considering how strong it can be. Protection from the colors that have big blockers and make lots of tokens is huge, and double strike can give double the triggers, or ward off attacks with deathtouch. Even Phyrexian Crusader can be strong, given so much aggro these days is in Boros colors. It blocks like a champ and can threaten lethal.
BUILD YOUR OWN PROGENITUS
WIth protection being so strong, it’s no surprise that it isn’t exactly printed into oblivion.
While Vexilus Praetor can be very strong – especially if your Commander is a Planeswalker! – it also stops you adding colored auras and equipments, meaning it’s not quite as hot in a Voltron deck. It does get better with Partners, though.
Instead, you must look to equipment. Commander’s Plate is fetchable off of Urza’s Saga, and gets you protection from most of the colors that can remove your Commander.
At that point, it’s time to consider the Swords of X&Y cycle. While there are clearly better swords – like Feast and Famine, and Hearth and Home – they all offer playable effects and relevant protection.
If you want to know which is better, check out my rankings of the swords. Where do the newest ones rank for you?
END STEP
Protection is an incredible tool, allowing you to fend off tempo-swinging attacks, and get in for damage you wouldn’t ordinarily be able to pull off. What creatures with protection do you run? Let us know on BlueSky or X.
Kristen is Card Kingdom’s Head Writer and a member of the Commander Format Panel. Formerly a competitive Pokémon TCG grinder, she has been playing Magic since Shadows Over Innistrad, which in her opinion, was a great set to start with. When she’s not taking names with Equipment and Aggro strategies in Commander, she loves to play any form of Limited.